Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Cyrax
by SolidSonicTH
Summary: Set about two years before the events of MK9 take place, I explore the story behind the Lin Kuei's "Cyber Initiative". Rating might change later due to heavier violence.
1. Prologue

_**Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Cyrax**_

_Prologue_

_A masked warrior dressed in blue stands victorious over another masked fighter, clad in yellow. "For my brother!" he declares over his fallen rival. He is standing in the midst of a grand coliseum, surrounded by thousands of bloodthirsty spectators cheering his triumph. At the center of the circular arena, a towering man sits upon a grotesque throne and watches over the bloodshed. A skull helmet adorns his head and he is joined by a bearded man dressed in oriental robes, a pale man with red markings covering his bleached skin, and a woman wearing a blue two-piece outfit, her face covered by a mask._

_The blue-garbed man prepares an icy blast to finish his opponent off for good when suddenly; five gray robots materialize out of thin air around him. They immediately paralyze the blue-clothed warrior, allowing the fighter in yellow to escape from the arena in a fiery plume. After he departs, two more mechanized individuals appear before the man on the throne, one yellow and one red. _

"_Who now interrupts the emperor's tournament?" the bearded man standing to the right of the throne demands of these mysterious intruders. Three more individuals arrive at this time; one wears a mask and is dressed similarly to the man in blue but bearing a gray color scheme with wisps of smoke emerging from his person, another wearing a large straw hat and dressed in white robes, and another wearing sunglasses with a large tattoo reading 'Johnny' across his chest. "Sub-Zero? No!" the masked man cries upon seeing his comrade surrounded by the metallic captors. He feels compelled to intervene and rescue his friend but the man in the straw hat immediately bars his way. "You cannot save him!" he says, sternly. "Stay here or they will take you too." The masked man looks on helplessly with a pained glare in his eyes._

_The red machine responds to the bearded man's inquisition. "We request that we may return him to our temple for judgment," he tells the emperor and his entourage. The one referred to as 'the emperor' is clearly not easily impressed. "And what do I gain from granting this bold request?" he asks, almost insulted that someone would have the audacity to flatly make a request of the ruler of this domain. "The Lin Kuei's loyalty and service," the yellow robot replies humbly. "Very well, he is yours," the emperor says dismissively. The two robots bow respectfully. "No! I will not be turned!" the one called 'Sub-Zero' cries out defiantly, now aware of what fate awaits him and why these mechanized warriors have sought him out. However, he is powerless to resist his captors and the machines simultaneously vanish with Sub-Zero in tow._

_Who or what are these machines? Who do they serve and what purpose did they have? They are in fact machinations of the 'Lin Kuei', an elite society of assassins. However, the Lin Kuei has not always been composed of mechanized operatives…_

* * *

><p>"I'm not in the mood to train in the midst of this storm," a dark-skinned man said as he looked out across the stormy skies pouring down rain. He stood under a temple awning on the second floor that overlooked the drenched temple courtyard. He was tossing a clear globe up and down as he spoke. His voice had a slight African accentuation. The man's clothes consisted of black robes with a yellow trim while his hair was dreadlocked and tied at the top with his yellow headband.<p>

"Oh come on, Cyrax. You lack zeal!" the man standing with him said with some boast in his voice. He was wearing gray robes and his long, white hair flowed freely in the strong winds. "Training in conditions like this builds fortitude!"

"Maybe for you, Smoke, but the rain only serves as a distraction for me…" Cyrax said indifferently. "I can't concentrate well when water's constantly splashing in my face."

As they continued to banter, the heavy doors leading inside the temple swung open and two masked men walked through and approached Cyrax and Smoke. "Cyrax, the Grandmaster requests an audience," one of them said to Cyrax. "He has a mission for you."

Cyrax and Smoke exchanged glances of understanding. Smoke gestured with his head, encouraging Cyrax to give a positive response to the request. "I would be honored," Cyrax informed the messengers. "Inform the Grandmaster I will be there shortly." Cyrax bowed honorably towards the two messengers and they returned in kind before turning on their heels and reentering the temple.

"It's not often the Grandmaster confronts the clansmen directly to issue a mission," Smoke said once the two men had gone. "This must be a high profile client."

"Perhaps…but a mission is a mission…makes no difference who you're working for," Cyrax replied dutifully. "I'll see you at dinner, Smoke," he said as he left to attend his meeting.

Five minutes later, Cyrax found himself walking down a long hallway deep inside the temple, illuminated by flickering candles placed along the sides. The hallway was ornately decorated with complex sequins and gold trim lining the walls. He was being escorted by the two messengers from earlier. The trio reached the end of the hallway and stood before a large wooden door. Cyrax's escorts each pushed one side of the door open to grant him passage into the room beyond. Cyrax stepped through the doors and was standing inside a grand hall, facing a large throne. A red carpet was laid leading up to the throne, decorated with designs of dragons and tigers. Seated on the throne was a man dressed in black and red robes, the bottom half of his face covered with a red mask. To his left was another man with Asian features wearing black clothes with a red trim. His beard was groomed into a goatee and his black hair was tied into a topknot. All three men immediately dropped to their knees and lowered their heads.

"Grandmaster, we have brought Cyrax before you as requested," one of the escorts said, his eyes not making contact with the man on the throne.

"Thank you, your service is no longer needed," the Grandmaster replied from the throne. He dismissed the two escorts with a gesture from his hand and they stood up and exited the room. "Cyrax, at ease," he said to Cyrax. Cyrax stood up and placed his hands behind his back, facing the Grandmaster.

"It is an honor to be called before you, Grandmaster. What is the matter that brings me here?" he asked respectfully.

"Cyrax, you are one of our most skilled operatives. Your record is a paragon of accomplishment among your Lin Kuei brethren," the Grandmaster praised.

"I only act in service of the interests of the clan, Grandmaster," he replied modestly. "It is the clan that has bestowed much of this great craft unto me."

"Anyway, I trust you are familiar with my son," the Grandmaster continued. He gestured to the man standing at his left, who bowed towards Cyrax.

"Yes, Grandmaster, I am aware of your son's involvement with the clan," Cyrax said, glancing at the Grandmaster's son.

"We have received a client request and I would like to deploy you as a pair to complete the assignment," the Grandmaster said. "Sektor has already accepted the mission."

Cyrax paused and made eye contact the Grandmaster's son. "With all due respect, Grandmaster, I am usually paired with Tundra for most of my missions. I don't have any doubt in your son's field experience and capability but it is my understanding that he is more accustomed to working with Brother Lynen. It would be unwise to disrupt the closeness of the standard partnering."

"Yes, it is an understandable concern," the Grandmaster replied. "However both Tundra and Lynen are occupied with solo missions and the client has requested that this mission be carried out by a two-person cell. Due to the influence of this client, I would only want to deploy the most capable operatives I have at my disposal. That is why I have turned to you, Cyrax."

Cyrax contemplated the task asked of him briefly. "I have no further objections, Grandmaster," Cyrax responded after some thought. "I would be honored to work alongside Sektor if it is your will."

"Very well, you and Sektor shall deploy tomorrow night to the compound of Xi Shien," the Grandmaster said. "He is a secretive weapons dealer who operates with Europe and other areas of Asia. Our client is interested in a weapons system that he is developing and has requested we steal the blueprints for it. The Lin Kuei will provide you with schematics of the building for your infiltration."

Cyrax bowed towards the Grandmaster and then towards Sektor, who bowed in return. Cyrax turned around and left through the doors to the hall.

"Father, I still think it is not the best to pair me with someone so unfamiliar," Sektor said once Cyrax had left. "I don't trust that we will be…compatible…"

"We will let the mission decide that…" the Grandmaster said with finality.

* * *

><p><em>(AN: The title may only be temporary. I want the story to focus on Cyrax but as I envision it now, Sektor will have a large part in it as well. If eventually I feel like the story is falling too far away from Cyrax, I'll start thinking about a title change._

_Technically, this story is supposed to take place in the new timeline started by Mortal Kombat (2011). However the fact that this is set before the tournament makes the point mostly moot since it's supposed to be everything onwards from MK1 that is different about the timeline. Still, there's some differences even before Raiden got his message from his future self that make this unique from the old timeline (such as the appearance of Kung Lao at the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament or, yes, Cyrax and Sektor's involvement prior to being transformed). _

_This story is meant to be my interpretation of the relationship between Cyrax and Sektor. The game doesn't really reveal how close they were before being transformed or how well they work together (since the first time they're seen interacting they're basically at each other's throats) so I'm going to make some of my own assumptions about how they viewed each other in this story.)_


	2. Chapter I

_**Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Cyrax**_

_(A/N: Something to note about Sektor: he does not have the equipment you see him use in Mortal Kombat 9. He's only equipped with a sword on his back, a combat knife, and a sash over his shoulder that has throwing stars attached to it. I just wanted to make that clear before you started reading.)_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter I <em>

"What do you see?" Sektor asked in a hushed voice. He and Cyrax stood in a tall tree about a hundred yards from the edge of Xi Shien's compound. Cyrax had a pair of binoculars to his eyes and was scanning the compound from above.

"It's lightly guarded around the exterior," he replied. He lowered the binoculars and slipped them into his hip pack. "At least getting into the building shouldn't be difficult. He only has guards posted at the main entrance."

The pair descended from their perch and swiftly crossed the wooded terrain to reach the side wall of the compound. Cyrax crept over to the corner of the stone wall barricading the compound and peered around to the front side. He could see two armed troopers standing at the gate and a third operating the heavy steel doors leading inside. "We should be clear," he told Sektor. Both men detached the grapple hooks that were attached to their waists and flung them up to the top of the barricade wall. After giving the rope a slight tug to ensure the hooks had set into the wall, the two Lin Kuei slowly pulled themselves to the top of the wall. At the crest, Sektor pulled himself up enough to look over the wall. He quickly surveyed the area inside the wall and gestured to Cyrax that there was no threat beyond the wall. The pair climbed over the top, collected their grapples, and silently dropped behind the barricade.

On the other side, the duo was greeted by a sprawling military-like complex at least three stories high. Cyrax quickly moved to one of the nearby windows and looked inside. He could see a hallway with a few personnel moving between the doors that lined the sides. Without taking his eyes off the window, he threw some hand signals to his partner to move. Sektor made his way to the side of the building and attached his grapple to the second story of the building. He pulled himself up and briefly disappeared beyond Cyrax's line of view. After a few moments, he returned to the edge to call up Cyrax. Once Cyrax had climbed up, the two knelt down and Cyrax pulled out a folded schematic from his hip pack. After opening it, he placed it down between himself and Sektor. Sektor produced a flashlight from his own pack and turned it on; allowing them to see what was on the page.

"From my understanding of these schematics, we are outside of this point," Cyrax said, pointing to a location on the diagram. "We need to make our way into this area, which contains the compound's data banks." He moved his finger to another part of the page. "However, apparently we need a keycard to access the data banks, so we might have to take one from one of personnel."

"Then we should split up…" Sektor proposed. "I will retrieve a keycard and you-"

"No," Cyrax interrupted. "It will serve no good to separate. Without the schematics you won't know how to navigate the facility. We will stay together."

Sektor paused but then nodded in agreement. Cyrax folded up the map while Sektor looked through the second story window. After seeing no one was waiting on the other side, he opened his pack and pulled out a small toolkit. Sektor tampered with the window lock and was quickly able to disengage the locking mechanism. He pushed open the window and slipped through into the facility. He pressed his back against the far wall of the hallway within and gestured to Cyrax to join him.

"Arm yourself," Cyrax whispered to his partner. He unsheathed a knife from a leg holster and Sektor pulled his from the holster mounted on his waist. The two began to sneak through the facility with Cyrax leading and Sektor covering the rear. They quietly slipped through the various hallways of the facility, undetected by the security cameras that watched the halls.

Eventually, the pair reached a junction in the halls when they heard the sounds of someone typing on a keyboard from around the corner. Cyrax threw up his hand to indicate that to Sektor that they had to stop. Using his hand to silently communicate to Sektor, he instructed his partner to look ahead and see what waited around the corner. Sektor nodded and opened his pack, pulling a mirror attached to a telescopic pole from within. He extended the pole and leaned it around the corner, allowing Cyrax to surreptitiously see what was around the corner without having to expose himself. Sektor slowly tilted the mirror up until Cyrax was able to see what was around the corner. Cyrax could see a man dressed in a white lab coat using a terminal in the hall beyond. Cyrax silently instructed Sektor to hold his ground as he slowly walked into the connecting hallway. The man in white did not notice his presence so he quickly closed the gap. When he was in striking distance, Cyrax startled the man by grabbing him around the neck and knocking him out with a swift chop to the back of the head in one smooth motion. Once the target was subdued, Sektor joined him.

"Pull him in here," Sektor said, pointing to a nearby unoccupied office. Cyrax nodded and they lifted the unconscious man and took him inside the office. Once inside, Sektor shut the door while Cyrax rummaged through the man's jacket.

"Found it," Cyrax said after a thorough examination. He pulled a yellow card from the man's breast pocket. He slipped the card into his hip pack then pulled the building diagram out again. He analyzed it to determine their present location then put it away.

"So, how far are we from the target?" Sektor asked.

"The data banks are on the ground level," Cyrax informed his partner. "We'll need to get to the lower floor somehow…"

"We can take the stairs," Sektor offered. He pointed to a stairwell on the diagram. "They're just around the corner from this hall."

Cyrax scanned the diagram once more but was unable to conclude a better approach. "Very well, but I wish there was a better way." He put the diagram away as Sektor peered out the door. He signaled to Cyrax and they reentered the hallway. The pair quickly moved to the door leading to the stairwell and crouched down next to the door. Cyrax looked back to his partner, who nodded that he was prepared. Cyrax drew out his combat knife then slowly turned the door handle to the stairwell. He looked beyond the door and saw there were no visible threats. The two slipped into the stairwell.

After making their way down the stairs, the two-man cell continued onward until they reached the connecting hallway leading to the data banks. Cyrax looked around the corner to the final hall and saw no one was in the hallway.

"What if there are people in the data bank?" Sektor asked. Cyrax removed one of the homemade grenades from his belt and showed it to him. Sektor nodded with understanding.

"We breach on my mar-," Cyrax started to say. He was suddenly driven to silence when he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching them from the intersecting hallway. He hastily signaled to Sektor to press himself against the back wall of the hallway they were in. The two men leaned against the far wall just as the armed mercenary walking their way passed the hallway they were in. They watched as the mercenary approached the data bank.

"I will deal with this," Sektor whispered to Cyrax once the mercenary was a fair distance down the hall. He quietly unsheathed the sword on his back and crept in behind the soldier.

"No!" Cyrax tried to tell Sektor. However Sektor ignored him and continued to pursue his prey. "Damn fool!" he muttered to himself.

Sektor closed the gap with the mercenary and raised his sword. He brought down with a vertical swipe across the spine of the soldier as Cyrax watched from the hallway junction. After slashing at the soldier's back, he kicked the soldier in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Sektor stood at the ready, unsure if he had struck a killing blow. The soldier lay still for a brief moment but then slowly began to stir. He reached for his gun and calmly rose to his feet.

"What?" Sektor said, shocked that his attack hadn't even wounded his target. He stepped back as the soldier turned around and began to take aim with his weapon. Cyrax pulled a grenade off his belt and rolled it into the hall. Both the soldier and Sektor looked down at the globe but it exploded, leaving behind a veil of smoke that caused both parties to cough uncontrollably. Cyrax focused his chi energy and a green ball appeared in his left hand. He threw the green ball at Sektor, which turned into a net of energy as it flew. It ensnared his partner and Cyrax pulled his arm back, which pulled the green net back towards him with Sektor contained. Cyrax dissolved the net and freed Sektor once he was out of the smoke cloud.

"What did you do that for?" Cyrax asked angrily. Sektor was still trying to evacuate the smoke from his throat. Before he could get an answer, the soldier triggered an alert before he fell unconscious. Red lights began to flash through all the hallways and a siren blared.

"No!" Cyrax said now that their presence had been uncovered. He immediately broke into a sprint down the hallway.

"Cy-Cyrax! Wh-what of…the mission?" Sektor asked between gasps of air.

Cyrax stopped and turned toward his partner. "Forget the mission! We just need to escape!" he explained. Sektor looked back at the fallen soldier but conceded that they were without another option and followed Cyrax down the hall.

The pair approached a corner but as they rounded it, a team of five mercenaries appeared at the far end and aimed their weapons against the infiltrators. Sektor pulled out two throwing stars off his sash. "Let's see you deal with this!" he said to his pursuers. He threw the throwing stars at the soldiers but instead of doing damage, the throwing stars simply bounced off their armor. Sektor grimaced that his weapons were rendered ineffective against these mercenaries. Cyrax attempted to go back the way they came but were immediately stopped short by another five mercenaries who cut them off. There was now no escape. Cyrax slowly walked backwards until he was standing back to back with Sektor.

"What do we do now?" Sektor asked his partner. Both men stood ready to fight.

"Cover your eyes…" Cyrax replied. Sektor complied and Cyrax pulled another two grenades off his belt and threw them in opposite directions, one towards each squad of mercenaries. Both balls exploded in a great, blinding flash. All ten mercenaries covered their eyes in pain, overcome by the unbearable light. The pair immediately took advantage of the distraction and ran in to the right. They pushed their way through the blinded mercenaries, knocking them to the ground. They continued to run down the hallway until they came to a random door. Sektor opened it and the two men ran inside the office. He locked the door and the two listened as the soliders regained their senses and ran past the room they were in.

"Now what?" Sektor asked. "It won't be long until they discover our location!" Just then he looked up at the ceiling and saw there was a security camera in the corner of the room. Sektor pulled out a throwing star and threw it at the camera, disabling it.

"Knock over that table and get behind it," Cyrax instructed. He could hear the mercenaries doubling back, tipped off by the security team watching the cameras. Sektor complied and threw the table on its side, knocking over all the contents on top. He crouched down behind the table. "Take this and don't throw it until they've entered the room," Cyrax explained. He handed Sektor one of his grenades. Cyrax then turned to the far wall and began to concentrate his energy again.

At that moment, one of the mercenaries began to try to break the door down. The door began to separate from its hinges. "Are you ready yet?" Sektor asked his partner in desperation.

"Give me more time!" Cyrax responded, continuing to focus his chi. Just then two mercenaries broke the door down and breached the room. Five guns with mounted laser sights immediately aimed at the pair. "Throw the bomb!" Cyrax shouted. Sektor hurled the grenade he was holding at the mercenaries standing in the door frame. It exploded in the air and knocked the soldiers away from the door. Sektor emerged from behind the table to see the damage.

Cyrax threw the energy he had been gathering at the wall. It formed into another net that passed right through the wall. The wall turned to debris where his net passed through. "Come on, we need to go!" Cyrax called to his partner, escaping through his makeshift escape route. Sektor turned to follow but as he did, another team of mercenaries had reached the door frame and opened fire into the office. "Grah!" Sektor grunted, his arm grazed by one of their bullets.

"Sektor, come on!" Cyrax said over the gunfire. Sektor clutched his wound then ran after Cyrax. Cyrax threw his grapple over the barricade wall and swiftly ascended, waiting at the top of the wall for his partner. The team of mercenaries had followed them outside. Sektor was lagging behind due to his injury and reached the wall as the mercenaries had caught up. Their laser sights all focused on Sektor as he reached for the rope. Cyrax could see he wouldn't be able to climb the rope in time and he detached his last grenade from his belt. He threw it at the mercenaries. One of the soldiers saw his grenade flying towards them and shot it out of the sky. However, this only detonated the grenade early and another bright light blinded the mercenaries.

"Sektor, hurry up!" Cyrax said while the mercenaries were still distracted. Sektor struggled but managed to pull himself up the grapple. Cyrax reached out his arm and assisted Sektor over the wall. The two Lin Kuei operatives landed behind the wall and escaped into the forest beyond.

* * *

><p><em>(AN: The reason I wanted to write this story is I was somewhat perturbed that an agent for the Lin Kuei would use weapons like personal missiles or flamethrowers while Cyrax's arsenal was more in line with his profession (minus the buzzsaw). If Sektor was more into demolitions this would make sense but he's an assassin by trade._

_The inspiration for this story came from a reply I got on GameFAQs when I brought up this discussion. It basically stated that Sektor's use of these technologies might have contributed to the Lin Kuei eventually wanting to use cybernetic warriors. So I'm writing this story to explore that premise.) _


	3. Chapter II

_**Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Cyrax**_

_Chapter II_

_An hour later..._

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cyrax exclaimed, furious at his partner. The pair was sitting in a forest clearing, miles from the compound of Xi Shien. Sektor was seated on a rock, bandaging his injured arm. Cyrax was facing away from him, staring into the woods beyond.

"I did nothing wrong, Cyrax!" Sektor barked back. "I did what any Lin Kuei operative should have!"

"You foolishly attacked a soldier who was clearly wearing body armor!" Cyrax retorted, turning around to face Sektor. "There would have been plenty of ways to deal with the situation but instead you rushed in with no plan or thought!"

"There was no reason I should be blamed in this. We were clearly unprepared to fight this enemy," Sektor said, trying to calm himself. He tore off the bandage and put the roll back into his pack.

"If you had just followed my lead, we wouldn't have had to abandon the mission," Cyrax said. "I would have rather died back there than to face what is waiting for us when we return to the Lin Kuei."

"Father will understand," Sektor said with some confidence. "Once we explain that our enemy's arsenal was simply too technologically advanced when compared to our own, the blame will fall to the client for not properly warning us."

"You know nothing," Cyrax said. He walked up to Sektor and placed his face in front of his partner's. "Our duty is to the mission and that means accounting for the unaccounted for. There was no excuse for what transpired back at the compound. We would have been perfectly capable of handling the situation had you not been so headstrong…"

"We shall see," Sektor coolly replied. "I think I know my father well enough to explain our predicament…"

* * *

><p>"Worthless mongrels!" the Grandmaster bellowed. "This failure is unacceptable!"<p>

Cyrax and Sektor were kneeling before the Grandmaster's throne. The Lin Kuei Grandmaster was angrily pacing back and forth in front of his subordinates. Surrounding the throne room were other Lin Kuei clansmen, all standing stoically at attention.

"Do you know how valuable this client is?" he continued. "This mission should have been a simple task. It was not even an assassination assignment, it was merely to steal data…and yet you still come back with nothing!"

"Father, if you would let me ex-" Sektor tried to say.

"No! Your father is not here! I am the Lin Kuei Grandmaster," he said harshly. Sektor immediately lowered his head submissively. "You forfeited your right to address me 'father' when you returned empty-handed…" He looked towards Cyrax. "You were the mission lead, perhaps you would care to enlighten me as to what caused this grievous error, Cyrax…"

"The mission had been going smoothly," Cyrax began, looking towards the floor. "We had infiltrated the compound of Xi Shien with no difficulty and located the data bank." He turned his eyes towards Sektor. "However, Sektor impatiently attempted to take down one of the guards on duty with his weapon, despite the fact it should have been obvious that he was well-armored."

"That is not true!" Sektor said in his defense. "Our training would have called for me to have acted as I did. It was the fact the guards on duty were equipped with technology that exceeded that of the weapons we carry!"

"If your son would train more in the arts of stealth and assassination we wouldn't have had any need to engage the guards! This mission's failure falls entirely to Sektor!" Cyrax argued.

"Fa-Grandmaster," Sektor said, catching himself. "I assure you that this comes down to the lack of technology we have at our disposal!"

"You were being reckless!" Cyrax said, addressing Sektor directly. "You are just making excuses for your own incompetence! Take responsibility for your ac-"

"Silence!" the Grandmaster said, cutting off Cyrax. "I will not let you waste any more of my time with this inane bickering!" He motioned to one of the clansmen standing nearby. The clansmen took a ceremonial sword from behind the Grandmaster's throne and handed it to him. The Grandmaster ran his hand down the length of the sword. "I am sure you are aware of the penalty in the event of such failure…"

"Yes, Grandmaster," the two men said resignedly. They bowed their heads as the Grandmaster raised his sword above his. However, instead of bringing the sword down on them, the Grandmaster simply thrust it into the floor in front of them. The pair looked up and saw the sword wedged into the wood floor. Confused, they looked up at their leader.

"Be grateful that I value your skill more than your lives…" the Grandmaster said coldly. "Any lesser operatives would have been dealt a fatal blow for such ineptitude." He turned away from Cyrax and Sektor. "However any further mistakes will not be greeted with such mercy."

The two men stood to their feet and put their hands behind their back. "Yes, Grandmaster," they said in unison.

"You are all dismissed," the Grandmaster said, still with his back turned to his audience. "However, Cyrax and Sektor, you will not be receiving any new assignments for the next month as punishment." With that he thrust his hand out at his side and the crowd of Lin Kuei clansmen made their way to the door with the exception of Sektor, who stayed behind. The Grandmaster knew that Sektor had not left the room with the others but still did not turn around. "Why are you still in my presence, Sektor?" he asked.

"Father, whether or not you believe Cyrax, I did not say anything untrue," Sektor explained himself. "We met our match in that compound, our weapons were insufficient in dealing with the enemies within."

"Cyrax has made a good point," the Grandmaster said in response. "Your brazen and irresponsible actions do seem to be the cause of this mission's failure. You should be glad that I didn't force the brunt of the responsibility to your shoulders."

Sektor gritted his teeth upon hearing his father had sided with Cyrax but kept his composure. "Perhaps…I did not act in the most appropriate manner, yes," he continued, with an irritated tone. "However can you not agree that I have a good point about our equipment's antiquity? The client did not make clear that he hired us to assault a compound guarded by such highly-equipped mercenaries."

"You are Lin Kuei, Sektor," the Grandmaster said. "There's no excuse for failing only because the enemy has better equipment. Your stealth and cunning are what will suffice in those situations. I would spend this next month perfecting that."

"But the world we live in is not the same world that our ancestors did," Sektor pressed. "Would they have not wanted us to change and adapt to the evolution of our enemies? It is the only way to succeed…"

"The training and fortitude that we build as Lin Kuei has been standing strong for generations," the Grandmaster said. "Our weapons and techniques have yet to fail us."

"In this case they have…" Sektor replied, almost defiantly. "You say spend the next month refining myself in the art of stealth…I say it is not enough…"

At this point the Grandmaster turned his head slightly, acknowledging Sektor for the first time since their conversation began. "Let us assume that I agree with you and concede that we are being held back by relying purely on our practices of our forefathers…" he said, now somewhat intrigued. "What exactly do you have in mind to change this?"

Sektor smirked slightly, now knowing he had piqued his father's interest. "I believe we can give ourselves an edge if we explore more modern weapons. We cannot exist in a world that has surveillance equipment that never sleeps or enemies equipped with firearms while we try to confront them with little protection. There must be some evolution… Let me use the funds of the Lin Kuei to explore and research contemporizing our armaments. It can only be beneficial for all of us."

The Grandmaster slowly turned around. He paused in thought before speaking. "I find your ambitions to be disrespectful towards the lineage of our clan…however as my son, I am encouraged by your interest in the preservation of the Lin Kuei…" He paused again. "Very well, I will grant you the funds to conduct this 'research.' But do not waste my time or I will not hesitate to reconsider. I am already uncertain if this is a wise decision."

"Do not worry, father," Sektor said. "I have only the clan in mind…" With that, he turned around and slowly left the Lin Kuei throne room.

* * *

><p>Cyrax was standing outside the Lin Kuei temple with Smoke and another man, dressed in blue.<p>

"Sektor showed nothing but cowardice back there," the man in blue said. Frosty vapors were emanating from his body. "A Lin Kuei should possess more honor, and this comes from the son of the Grandmaster, no less…"

"It's in the past, Tundra…" Cyrax said. "I'm not happy that he tried to worm out of taking responsibility either but I'm just appreciative the Grandmaster was forgiving enough not to punish us more severely."

"Well, look who comes our way…" Smoke said, pointing behind Tundra and Cyrax. The two turned around to see Sektor walking towards them.

"What took you so long to leave the Grandmaster's chambers?" Tundra asked. "Trying to save face with your father?"

"Actually, the Grandmaster has just granted me the use of Lin Kuei funds," Sektor replied, smugly. "I intend to research new weapon technologies that might aid us in the future."

"Again with this?" Cyrax asked, exasperated that Sektor continued pushing this issue. "Your insistence on dodging the truth is disheartening, Sektor. I'd expect the son of the Grandmaster to accept responsibility for his error instead of avoiding blame by making excuses…"

"I have not made any excuses for what played out on our mission," Sektor said, unflinchingly. "You were there, it should have been clear that our inferior weaponry a large factor in our failure."

"I trust Cyrax's account," Smoke stepped in. "If anyone's actions hurt the mission, it was your mistake in moving forward without your partner's agreement."

Sektor looked around at his three detractors. "Well, regardless if you think I am to blame, the Grandmaster is allowing me to explore a new opportunity here and I welcome it."

"You know as well as I that you're just wasting everyone's time," Cyrax said. "Just take your reprimand and commit to improving…"

Sektor offered no reply as he walked by the three men. Tundra scoffed at Sektor from behind his back. "Arrogant fool…" he muttered.


End file.
